Time's up! Stick to the three-minute rule
Lately, the Williamsville Village Board has been lenient during the suspension of

rules and the three-minute time limit. This is the time allotted to members of the community wishing to address community issues.

The board allows some people to speak beyond the time restraint, sometimes for more than 10 minutes. Yet others are hushed after four minutes.

The way we see it, a time limit is a time limit whether or not the resident speaking is a former trustee or another influential person in the village. The law states that residents are allowed to speak for three minutes during suspension of rules. If people cannot say all they want in that time period, then they should come back at the next meeting or call the mayor and trustees on their own time.

Also, praising former trustees and mayors about past work is a waste of time. If residents cut out such comments, more of their issues could be discussed and resolved.

Address the elected board members - those now in office. Speak to them about the present issues, not about how government was handled 15 years ago. The current trustees are the ones who can fix the problem or find an answer for you - those no longer on the board aren't going to help you.

If a resident is facing a problem or sees an unsightly object in the village, then this is an issue to address during the suspension of rules. Resident interaction is needed in the village. But be courteous of other people in the audience when it comes to how long you speak.

The trustees should not play favorites either. Just because they do not like what someone is saying does not mean they can show preference to one person over the other. If they allow

one person to speak for 15 minutes, then in all fairness, they must show the same courtesy to the next.

We feel the Village Board generally does a fine job of running meetings. Trustees discuss the issues addressed at previous sessions and try to find a solution. They even investigate matters on their own time. For example, they each visited a church's parking lot to see if a tree needed to be removed. In their meetings, trustees follow Roberts Rules of Order - except for that portion involving the suspension of rules.

We suggest the Village Board take its cue from the Amherst Town Board on this one. The Town Board uses a bell. When the bell rings, the resident has 30 seconds to finish his or her comments. If the speaker is not finished, then the person is asked to revisit the issue at a different time.